Japanese Film Festival: First Look; Dates Announced for 2014

Experience the largest Japanese Film
Festival outside of Japan, boasting the latest contemporary
titles that attracted 25,000 people nationwide last year.
The 18th Japanese Film Festival (JFF) will begin its
national tour starting mid-October in Adelaide, and
continues to other major Australian cities until its final
stop in Melbourne in December.

9 principal cities
in 2 countriesThe JFF is proud to announce its
growth both domestically and internationally this year.

In
Australia, the JFF expands to include new venues:
Adelaide’s Mercury Cinema, Sydney’s Event Cinemas
Parramatta, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Fremantle’s
Hoyts Millennium.

Internationally, the JFF debuts in
Auckland from November 6 at Rialto Cinemas,
Newmarket.

“The Japanese Film Festival is a rapidly
growing event and we are constantly looking for new
opportunities bring Japanese cinema to an even larger
audience. Last year we expanded our programming to Brisbane,
Perth and Canberra. Building on these existing locations, we
are excited to welcome four new cities onto our Festival map
– Adelaide, Parramatta, Fremantle and of course Auckland,
our first international move. Having nurtured the Festival
since 1997, now seeing it move beyond Australia is a dream
come true,” says Artistic Director Masafumi
Konomi.

Program to consist of 45+ of the latest
feature filmsIn each city, over 10 of the
latest feature films will be screened. Flagship cities
Sydney and Melbourne will enjoy an even greater program
comprising of 45+ films.

While the full program is yet to
be announced, we can reveal that the live-action adaptation
of popular manga series, Rurouni Kenshin will return
to the Festival as a trilogy in 2014. Fans will be delighted
to hear that the JFF will screen the original episode,
alongside the Australian premiere of the long-awaited
two-part sequel soon to be released in Japan, Rurouni
Kenshin – Kyoto Inferno and Rurouni Kenshin – The
Legend Ends. The Australian premiere of Rurouni
Kenshin two years ago in Sydney sold out in less than
two weeks, demanding a second screening that also sold out
in record time. Plot synopsis: Lone swordsman Himura Kenshin
has vowed to never kill again but things are not so simple.
Faced with those who wish to return Japan to times of
darkness, Kenshin is forced to grapple with what renouncing
violence could mean.

Free
screeningsSelected cities will enjoy a variety
of free screenings, some from the Japan
Foundation’s 35mm collection (JFF Classics);
others are semi-recent releases that have already screened
as a part of the main JFF program in previous years (JFF
Mini).

JFF Classics - the classic program
will be shown as a prelude to the main leg of the Festival
in Sydney at the Art Gallery of NSW starting 15 October. In
Melbourne, it will run during the Festival period at the
Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

JFF Mini
- the JFF will additionally travel to Townsville,
Cairns, Hobart and Darwin with an abridged program
consisting of three films, also free of charge. There will
also be screenings in Broome for a nominal
charge.

“Cinema is a powerful medium that transcends
cultural barriers. As a part of the Japan Foundation’s
remit to promote cultural exchange between Australia and
Japan, JFF free screenings are bridges that aim to reach out
to audiences across all socio-economic backgrounds and
circumstances. People can still access and experience
Japanese culture through film for free. We are really
bringing Japan to you.”

Japanese Film Festival
Dates and VenuesThe 18th JFF runs nationally
between October – December 2014

Japanese Film Festival’s official
channelsWebsite:
japanesefilmfestival.netFacebook:
japanesefilmfestTwitter: @japanfilmfest /
#JFF2014AU

ABOUT THE JAPANESE FILM
FESTIVALThe Japanese Film Festival (JFF) is
presented and run by The Japan Foundation, Sydney and is now
an established calendar event. The JFF started in 1997 with
three free film screenings by Festival Director Masafumi
Konomi. Last year, the Festival celebrated its 17th year
with an audience of approximately 25,000 nationwide. The
Festival has enjoyed great success over the years, with the
opportunity to showcase a vast variety of cinematic delights
from classics to newly released films currently screening in
Japan. The JFF also brings out special guests from Japan for
Q&A evenings and film screenings.

ABOUT THE JAPAN
FOUNDATIONThe Japan Foundation, Sydney is the
Australian arm of the Japan Foundation, which was
established by the Japanese government to promote cultural
and intellectual exchange between Japan and other nations.
The Japan Foundation, Sydney runs a diverse range of
programs and events, including exhibitions, talk events,
grant programs and Japanese language courses for all levels
from beginner to advanced. The Japan Foundation was
established in 1972 with a global network of 22 offices in
21 countries. The Australian office was founded in
1977.

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